—Multi-factor authentication (MFA) has been widely used in various scenarios. By combining multiple forms of authentication, MFA effectively provides security assurance. Due to the rapid developments of mobile devices, especially smart phones, more and more sensitive information is now stored or accessible on smart phones. How to protect smart phones' security is now more important than ever. ...

Early warning indicators for process failures were investigated to develop a reliable method to increase the production efficiency of biogas plants. Organic overloads by the excessive addition of rapeseed oil were used to provoke the decrease in the gas production rate. Besides typical monitoring parameters, as pH, methane and hydrogen contents, biogas production rate and concentrations of fatt...

Fractures associated with osteoporosis are a significant public health risk, and one that is likely to increase with an ageing population. However, many osteoporotic vertebral fractures present on images do not come to clinical attention or lead to preventative treatment. Furthermore, vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) typically depends on subjective judgement by a radiologist. The potential u...

This study investigated the effect of heat-alkaline treatment (HAT) at pH 11 and 60 °C on volatile fatty acid (VFA) production and protein degradation in excess sludge, soluble and insoluble proteins, and pure cultures. In addition, quantification of bacteria present in the sludge was also examined. Experimental results showed that following acid fermentation under pH 7 and 37 °C, HAT enhanced ...

Objective: Visceral fat accumulation because of obesity plays a central role in metabolic syndrome and causes cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods: The aims of this study were to investigate associations between visceral fat accumulation and adipokines in non-obese type 2 diabetic patients. Results: In total, 138 type 2 diabetic patients were enrolled, with a mean age of 64 years. Among the pa...

Concanavalin A (Con A) and agglutinins from the pea (PSA), lentil (LCH), and fava bean (VFA) constitute a group of D-mannose/D-glucose binding legume lectins. In addition to their sugar binding specificity, these lectins also contain sites that bind hydrophobic ligands. The present study explores a class of nonpolar binding sites reportedly present adjacent to the carbohydrate binding site in P...

BACKGROUND A high-calorie diet and physical inactivity, an imbalance between caloric intake and energy consumption, are major causes of metabolic syndrome (MetS), which manifests as accumulation of visceral fat and insulin resistance. However, the lifestyle-related factors associated with visceral fat mass in healthy men are not fully understood. METHODS We evaluated visceral fat area (VFA), ...

Eight ruminally cannulated Holstein bull calves were used in a switchback design to evaluate effects of hay on postprandial changes in ruminal pH, ammonia and VFA, blood ketones, and plasma glucose, NEFA, VFA, and urea N. Calves were fed 4.5 kd/d of calf starter with or without hay for ad libitum consumption. Blood and ruminal fluid were sampled every 2 h for 12 h on d 21 (periods 1 and 2) or d...

OBJECTIVE RA accelerates bone loss, increasing the risk of osteoporosis (OP) and fracture. DXA imaging has been validated for identifying RA patients at risk of fracture. The objective of this study was to assess the presence of asymptomatic vertebral fractures (VFs) in a cohort of patients with established RA referred for DXA using VF assessment (VFA) technology. METHODS We determined the pr...

1. Two experiments were conducted with lambs sustained entirely by intragastric infusion of volatile fatty acids (VFA), protein, minerals and vitamins. 2. In the first experiment to determine the effects of VFA on nitrogen retention four mixtures of VFA (B, C, D and E) were used containing acetic, propionic and butyric acid in the following molar proportions respectively: 45, 45 and 10; 55, 35 ...